Improved mode of purifying, seasoning, and preserving wood



uiten tstts ffice.

THEDORE vl/' lL-LlAhiV HEINEMANN, OF' NEW YORKQN. Y.

,enterrement No, 76,757, dans April 1.4, 186s.

@ligt Stinhult metten it in these glitters rnt rmt utttiug'ptrt uf vtht samt. i

A'.O ,AiLL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN.:

Be it known'that I, Tnsononn WILLIAM Humanism, of the city, county, and State o t' NewfY-ork, have .i invented a new'and improved Modeot' Purifying, Seasoning, and Preserving Wood; and that the following is a full and exact description thereof. v i

All goed modes heretofore known may be divided into fourv classes: First, suchI as wash out some of the nitrogenous matter contained in wood; second, such as convert it by metallic salts into insoluble compounds; third, such ostili up the pores with bituminous or fatty substances; fourth, such as are combinations of the two last named. i 'l I l 'M ,As disadvantages of the modes of the first class may be mentioned, that none'of those now in -useremovs all nitrogenous matter', that they all increase the capacity ot' the pores for water, and the fermentiug substances conveyed by it in proportion to'their effectiveness, and' thereby contribute to the liability of the wood to decay: v attacks of insects, and bursting from frost.

The modes of the second class are very expensive'. The metallic salts used are themselves decomposed byl combining with the nitrogenous compoundsof thewcod, and, as a consequence, either acid or hase is disengaged to act injuriously upon it. The pores also remain liable lto absorb water, and to thel dangers mentioned above as dependingnpon it-spresence ,l K K l ,1.1-

The methods of the` third class generally penetrate thick-or long pieces but imperfectly, and leave them, therefore, subject to dry rot particularly so because the materials used always contain snbstances'which have 'a tendency to ferment, only partially counteractled by the presence of a small percentage 1of 'carbolic acid in some of them. v

The modes of the fourth class, as la matter of course, are donbly'expensive, and the wood treated bythem remains liable to be injuriously affected'hy the disengaged base or acid of the metallic compound used.

My invention'consists in obviating vthe defects ot' all these modes, und combining their merits as follows: I'irst boil the wood in a wcak'solution ot'A carbonato of soda or any 'other alkali, or muriatic acid, (pure, crude, or waste materials will answer equally well, but of the pure, one part infifty to. two hundred of water is v strong enough until the liquor ceases to abstract color from the wood, which'then' is free of nitrogenous mutter, i' and consequently no longersubject to spontaneous decay, and after drying in the usual way, if intended for use where it will not be exposed to the inroads of water, insects, 82e., needs no' other treatment. But if it be intended for railway-sleepers, or purposes-where it lmay bemuch exposed, or come `in contact with nitrogen ons or fermentiug substances, I subjeet it to a. second treatment in a' close boiler, of suitable size and shape, strong enough to bear a v eryhigh pressure, conveniently fitted with-'an air-tightdoor, also with horizontal .cross-bars, which serve as braces to strengthen the boiler, and at the same time keep the woodfrom floating,

with n safety-valve, discharge-cock, pressure-gauge, and thermometer. l

Into this boiler I put thc wood, and with it enough resin, whcn,liqueled,^to cover it, and suiiicientvrater to till, when convertedk into steam, the whole of the remaining-spacein the boiler. I then close the doortightly,

and heat the boiler gradually until the thermometer shows thecontents to be at about 306 Fahrenheit, -when the rosin is as liquid and penetrating as boilingwater, and the steam, being of a very high pressure, forcesthe resin through all the pores of the wood. I keep the`same temperature up just long enough to have the wood evenly heated all the way through, the time varying according to the thiclcnessof the piecesfti'eated. After that I-lesseu the heat gradually, until the thermometer shows themass inside the boiler to have cooled down to. about 200 Fahrenheit, when I 'suddenly raise the temperature again, and; as soon as therosn has become sueiently liquid, I open the discharge-cock and allow ittefdruin off. Thefwood may'then be taken ou und on cooling will be found very compact, hard, elastic, impervious to water, evenif left in it for a long t' e, not

subject to shrinking, warping, or the attacks'of-insects;and'lhdestructible except by re. If it he desirable, however, to makethe wood cii'eetually resist elven the power-'of the last-mentioned agout of destruction, I substitute soda or potash wat'englass instead of the r'osin, in the process lastdescrbed, and

after thoroughly impregnating Ait,`dry it and allow it to liefor some time in muriatic acid or some concentrated solution of a metallic salt, which will make an insoluble silica-te.

It will belfound desirable that the boiler used in thisiprocess should be heated by suitable dues, capable of being regulated by dampers.

Any organic resin, asphalte, pitch, or any similar substance may be substituted for rosin, if desirable.

vWhat I claim as my-nvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method herein described of purifying, seasoning, and preserving wood, by i'st freeing it from substances liable to spontaneous decay', in the manner described, andv afterwards impregnating it with any of the substances herein specified, or their equivalents, by means of high-steam pressure, substantially as described.

2. I also claim the method herein described of impregnating woodwitlx any ot" the lsubstances specified, or their equivalents, by means ol' high-steam pressure, when the steam is generated and superbeated in the same boiler or retort in which the wood and impregnntingsubstnnces ure contained, and subjected to steam-pressure,

substaniallyns setfortli. i THEO. WM. HEINEMANN.

Witnesses:

WALLACE HAHN, .W. M. KING.- 

